Lots of groups have tried to meld hard rock and hip-hop, but none have achieved such a potent end result as Linkin Park, the sextet from Agoura Hills, California which touched down Saturday night at The Xfinity Center in Mansfield, as part of their 25-city Carnivores Tour.

Linkin Park's new album, "The Hunting Party," released in June, shifts the focus a bit more back towards rock, and away from the electronic underpinnings of some previous work, and Saturday's show also pointed in that direction. There were laser lights and dry ice of course, but essentially a pretty basic stage setup, with three ten-foot risers on stage for drummer Rob Bourdon, DJ Joe Hahn, and rapper/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, who only used his occasionally. The rest of the band strode the front of the stage, and guitar-based thunder was certainly the focal point.

Linkin Park, which also includes vocalist Chester Bennington, guitarist Brad Delson, and bassist Dave Farrell, packed at least 25 songs into their 100-minute set. That total is up for debate, since many songs were done partially, just a verse and a chorus, or as part of transitional introductions or codas, but that approach kept the night moving forward at a swift pace. Linkin Park has been doing about five songs from the new album on these tour dates, and that was how the Xfinity Center show played out. The new tunes fit in superbly with the rest of the set, which was derived from all periods of the band's career, going back to their 2000 debut "Hybrid Theory" (which also contributed five songs to Saturday's set).

What sets Linkin Park apart from most metal bands (and rappers), and makes you more likely to forgive their excesses (and 'thundering' would describe most of Saturday's show) is that their songs are about something tangible, convey universal feelings, and provide a release. There's anger and rebellion and frustration to be sure, but songs like "Somewhere I Belong" carry the intrinsic belief that, in fact, that place can and will be found.

There are few more inspirational moments in music, we'd wager, than the three-song sequence that concluded their regular set, starting with a gloriously howling singalong of "Somewhere I Belong." Next came a throbbing rendition of "In the End (It Doesn't Really Matter)" where Shinoda stepped down into the mosh pit and invited fans to sing the chorus with him. Finally came the heavy metal thump and undeniable roar of "Faint" with its chorus "Don't turn your back on me, I won't be ignored," which clearly found resonance with many among the all-ages throng of about 16,000.

Earlier the new tune "Guilty All the Same" started the night off with a jolt, its syncopated march tempos tabbing it as a bellwether of the more-metal sound of the new album. All night long, Linkin Park interspersed its most popular hits with new or more obscure material, and "Given Up," with its tag line "I'm my own worst enemy.." was performed second, getting the night off to a really propulsive start.

Shinoda sang lead and played guitar on "Rebellion," another new tune, and then the band did a brief nod to "Ruanaway," before kicking into the hard-rocking "Wastelands" from the latest album. The more synth-loaded "Castle of Glass" began as a ballad before bursting into a torrid electronic inferno. It was a real change of pace after that to have Shinoda play a solo, neo-classical piano intro to "Leave Out All the Rest," as part of a ballads medley that also included "Shadow of the Day" and "Irisdescent."

"Waiting for the End" was another power ballad, and Bennington really knocked it out of the park--one of several moments when his raging howls gave way to some truly jaw-dropping musical technique, where his range and control were paramount. The new song "Final Masquerade" was a triumph in every way, a dramatic metal-based song delivered in stellar unison vocals from Benningston and Shinoda. The rapper then did a short nod to his side project, Fort Minor, with "Wretches and Kings" and "Remember the Name" in a medley.

Linkin Park came back and did six encores after that fiery regular set conclusion, and again, some tunes were shortened, but it added up to another 30 minutes of music anyway. Bennington excelled on the plaintive march "Burn It Down," and the very quick run through "Lost in the Echo" made you want to hear more of that tune. The booming drums made "New Divide" a palpable blast, and the sweeping ballad "Until It's Gone" again underlined how well Shinoda's rapping contrasts with Bennington's world-class vocals. The pulsating catharsis of "What I've Done" led into the blazing guitar finale of "Bleed It Out."

Earlier Thirty Seconds to Mars performed a 65-minute middle set, which sort of proved how superior Linkin Park's material is. TSTM is the trio fronted by actor Jared Leto, backed by a drummer and keyboardist (and backing tracks, more than likely) who both seemed nearly invisible, as the frontman, in his white yoga pants and sleeveless white top, roamed the stage and even the aisles of the arena exhorting the fans. Even by rock star standards, the ego quotient was a bit much.

No doubt Leto is a consummate showman, and got the crowd going, but he also set a record for telling the crowd how much he loved them, and glommed onto seemingly every cute eight-year old he could find. But too many of their songs seemed to just consist of (hopefully) anthemic choruses, which were then repeated endlessly. Prodded to sing along, one of the tykes informed Leto he knew the words to the next song--heck, we were betting he could've written it.